1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a portable computing device and, more particularly, to a technique and apparatus for connecting a network to a portable computing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art which may be related to various aspects of the present invention which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Many portable devices are composed of electronic components housed in a portable unit that is capable of being connected to a docking station or master housing unit. For example, a portable computer system typically includes a microprocessor, hard drive, RAM, network connection, and power supply housed within a protective housing. The portable device may be connected with the docking station or operated independently of the docking station. The portable device and docking station are typically a computer laptop with the associated base docking station, but may be a handheld device, pager, cell phone, or other similar device. The coupling between the docking station and the portable device may be configured in a variety of ways. The typical connection between the systems utilizes a copper port. However, the connection may be wireless or optical as well.
While the portable device may typically be an independent system, connecting to the docking station and other peripheral attachments may be a beneficial feature to the user. When the portable device is connected to the docking station, the portable device controls the peripheral attachments connected to the docking station. The docking station is typically coupled to a monitor, keyboard, printer, scanner, mouse, or other peripheral devices. Through the docking station connection, the user may access the beneficial features of the peripheral attachments that are removed from the portable device to increase its mobility.
Another type of external connection that is most often useful to the user is a network connection. An Ethernet, token ring, FDDI, wireless, ATM, or other proprietary or protocol based communication system are typical networks to which a user may connect. The user may need to connect the portable device in a variety of locations. To facilitate this freedom, the portable device will need to have a network connection within the unit. However, the portable device may be more difficult to operate since many of the user interfaces are smaller, such as the screen, keyboard, and mouse. When the user is working in the same location, a docking station may be used to allow the access to the peripheral devices connected to the docking station, such as a monitor, a mouse, a scanner, a printer, or a keyboard. With the docking station, a single connection is needed to connect the portable device into the docking station. If the portable device is the only device that has the network connector, then an additional action would be required to connect the portable device to the network. In other configurations, the docking station will have the network connector and the portable device would have to be connected to the docking station to enable network access. A final configuration includes both the portable device and the docking station having a network connector. With a network connection in both systems, the user does not have the concern of finding a network cable or the added effort in connecting the network into the portable device. Furthermore, the portable device is able to connect at a variety of locations and communicate with other network attached devices. In this configuration, the portable device retains its mobility and simplicity of connectivity with the docking station.
To enable the additional functionality in a dual network connector configuration, the docking station and the portable device must each have a network interface. Within a system, the network interface typically includes of a physical layer interface and a network controller. The network controller communicates with the system and physical layer interface through its physical connections to these components. In connecting the system to the network, the physical layer interface allows the network controller to communicate on the network media. The physical layer interface includes a physical layer controller and a network connector. The physical layer controller handles the communication from the network connector and the network controller. The network connector makes the physical connection with the network media to allow signals to flow from the network to the system. The network connector is typically copper, but may be optical or wireless.
Of the issues raised by additional hardware, cost and complexity are the biggest area of concern. With each system requiring duplicate hardware, the cost of the overall system increases with each hardware component that is duplicated. In addition, the cost of the associated support labor attributed to the additional components raises the system cost. In the area of complexity, the plurality of network connectors requires each network connector to have an individual hardware configuration that adds to the complexity of the software within the portable device. Along with the software complexity, problems resulting from the testing of the portable device are increased with each component. Also, the network configuration is not adjustable during the real-time operation of the portable device. The change from one network connector to another network connector requires the portable device be shutdown and restarted to accept the network connector change. The requirement of restarting the portable device is not a desirable situation for the user. Another aspect of complexity is that no feasible solution exists for routing the analog output of the physical interface to the plurality of network connectors.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a single network controller that the portable device or docking station shares for any access to the network, without the need for additional network controllers to be housed within the docking station or portable device.